Navy Arms .32 rim fire ammo?

Six6 · Feb 17, 2021

Hi folks, I just acquired a really nice model 1 1/2 that is functionally sound and in nice condition. I am not sure that I really want to shoot it, but of course the thought has crossed my mind. I picked up 10 rounds of Navy Arms smokeless .32 rim fire, from the drawing on the box it appears these cartridges were intended to be shot from antique S&Ws. All I know is that they went out of business in 2014, and I am concerned that with smokeless powder the rounds might be too 'hot' for this old revolver.

I've seen videos of folks shooting model 1 1/2's and the like on YouTube, but I think those were with hand loaded black powder rounds.

Interested to hear thoughts, opinions, advice.

ol777gunnerz · Feb 17, 2021

info

They are rim fire, not rimless. They are available much of the time on GB but quite pricey. Like most ammo for the older guns, they are lightly loaded. A better option are brass that have been drilled to hold nail gun caps which are also sold on there & some other sites.

nutsforsmiths · Feb 17, 2021

I too have heard this ammo from Navy Arms was designed to shoot from old black powder pistols chambered for 32 rimfire.

I too have a 1 1/2 and also a Hopkins & Allen Ranger #2 both chambered in 32 rimfire. I'd like to try them out sometime, but don't want to spend a lot on ammo just to shoot one cylinder full through.

glowe · Feb 17, 2021

I have probably shot near 1000 round of Navy Arms ammo. Still have 6 boxes left. It was excellent ammo and functioned perfectly in my Model 1 1/2 and Model 2 S&Ws. Have chronographed them at around 650 fps in a 6" model 2 with little recoil. Those boxes I see for sale are going for over $100, or $2 a round. They are, however, much more convienent than the reloabable brass which are not cheap either. The kit is currently running at $230 and will load 25 rounds. Extra bullets are around $50 per 100.

CORRECTION: I looked up my velocities and found that Navy Arms 32RF Long runs 530fps not 650fps in my 6" Model 2.

applefish · Feb 19, 2021

Six6 said:
Hi folks, I just acquired a really nice model 1 1/2 that is functionally sound and in nice condition. I am not sure that I really want to shoot it, but of course the thought has crossed my mind. I picked up 10 rounds of Navy Arms smokeless .32 rim less, from the drawing on the box it appears these cartridges were intended to be shot from antique S&Ws. All I know is that they went out of business in 2014, and I am concerned that with smokeless powder the rounds might be too 'hot' for this old revolver.

I've seen videos of folks shooting model 1 1/2's and the like on YouTube, but I think those were with hand loaded black powder rounds.

Interested to hear thoughts, opinions, advice.

That ammo by itself is pretty rare and desireable now.

If you want to play it safe, you can pull the bullet out, dump out the powder, refill with black powder (original loading in 1890's is 9 gr of black powder), and then reseat the bullet. I've never tried it with a 32 rimfire, but since they're heeled I don't think they should be too hard to pull and reseat.
You could also load with a 315 pure lead round ball if you wanted to go lighter.

Six6 · Feb 19, 2021

glowe said:
I have probably shot near 1000 round of Navy Arms ammo. Still have 6 boxes left. It was excellent ammo and functioned perfectly in my Model 1 1/2 and Model 2 S&Ws. Have chronographed them at around 650 fps in a 6" model 2 with little recoil. Those boxes I see for sale are going for over $100, or $2 a round. They are, however, much more convienent than the reloabable brass which are not cheap either. The kit is currently running at $230 and will load 25 rounds. Extra bullets are around $50 per 100.

Thanks for the info Gary!

glowe · Feb 19, 2021

applefish said:
. . . If you want to play it safe, you can pull the bullet out, dump out the powder, refill with black powder (original loading in 1890's is 9 gr of black powder), and then reseat the bullet . . .

Not sure why you think your suggestion is playing is safe? There is no need to do this and it can be dangerous since if the rim is where the primer compound is and if compressed or deformed in the process of pulling the bullet, the round can go off. I would not put a rimfire round in a bullet puller! Don't you think that if you have never done something, it might not be a good idea to tell others to do it???

I only give advise to others if I have credible information in hand to support my statements. I checked my research data to find that original BP 32 rimfire ran 15% to 20% faster than 32 Navy rounds, which also means that the pressures realized shooting BP will be higher than that of Navy Arms. All the numbers below are my results only and not intended to be valid for anyone else, but I did shoot may rounds across a chronograph to get this data and it is clear that Navy Arms is a weaker round.

32 RF Lg . .Navy Arms . . . Factory . . . . . . 532fps
32 RF Sht . Navy Arms . . . Factory . . . . . . 425fps
32 RF Lg . .UMC Factory . . Black Powder . . 650fps
32 RF Sht . Winchester . . . Factory BP . . . .550fps

applefish · Feb 19, 2021

glowe said:
Not sure why you think your suggestion is playing is safe? There is no need to do this and it can be dangerous since if the rim is where the primer compound is and if compressed or deformed in the process of pulling the bullet, the round can go off. I would not put a rimfire round in a bullet puller! Don't you think that if you have never done something, it might not be a good idea to tell others to do it???

With the heeled bullets you use a pair of pliers very carefully so the bullet doesn't get deformed. At least that's what i've done with 22s, but those were the cheapo remington 22s that were pretty much already loose...

You are right though glowe, using an inertial bullet puller is probably a bad idea..
On second thought, since the 32 rimfire is valuable ammo, you should probably stick with the other suggestions made in the thread and not mine.

Navy Arms .32 rim fire ammo?

Six6

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ol777gunnerz

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nutsforsmiths

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glowe

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applefish

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Six6

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glowe

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applefish

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